i6o Industries 



Committee on Aeronautics, and the Company began to produce height- 

 finders and instruments to locate the presence of aircraft:. When war broke 

 out, experimental effort was redoubled. A special thermometer was pro- 

 duced for testing the temperature of w^ater in an aeroplane radiator — a very 

 important invention when flying at great heights became normal. Other 

 aircraft instruments were also produced. 



Another Cambridge firm speciahsing in the manufacture of scientific 

 apparatus was the "Granta" Works founded by W. G. Pye about 1897. 

 In addition to supplying equipment to laboratories for teaching purposes, 

 many pieces of apparatus were manufactured for some specific experiment, 

 and the demand grew. Graduates from Cambridge, in equipping labora- 

 tories elsewhere, looked for apparatus similar to that which they had used 

 in their training. Particular attention had been paid to electrical instruments, 

 and in order to provide work for men returning from active service in 

 1919 and 1920, apparatus was developed for teaching the principles of 

 wireless telegraphy. Broadcasting commenced, and, soon, the teacliing 

 panels were in great demand for listening-in. With their circuit lines 

 engraved in white on ebonite panels, they took principal place in many 

 drawing rooms. Later developments, and especially the advent of the 

 portable receiver, resulted in very great extension of wireless production, 

 and in 1929 it was decided to separate the two activities. The Radio 

 department was disposed of to the Pye Radio Co. Ltd. The original business 

 of scientific instrument-making was carried on in modern premises in 

 Newmarket Road ; later, an Aeronautical Instruments Section was added, 

 retaining the style as W. G. Pye & Co. Ltd. 



A more recent instrument-making firm is Messrs Unicam Ltd. This was 

 started in 1933 at St Andrews Hill, but has recently moved to enlarged 

 premises at Arbury Road. Finally, Clifton Instruments Ltd., founded at 

 Bristol in 1929, was transferred to Cambridge in 1938. This is concerned 

 with physiological instruments. 



Paper-Making, etc. The Sawston Paper Mill is one of the oldest paper 

 mills in the country, and the only one now in existence in East AngHa. 

 The mill is known to have been making paper in 1664, and possibly the 

 manufacture had been carried on from a much earlier date. 



The name of Fourdrinier is found in association with the Mill as early 

 as 1780, and it is certain that one of the earhest paper-making machines in 

 the country was installed at Sawston. In 1836 the Mill passed into the 

 Towgood family, who made paper continuously from that date to 19 17, 

 and who bmlt up a reputation for a very high grade of paper. In 1917, 

 the Mill was incorporated as a Limited Company, under the name of 

 Edward Towgood & Sons Ltd., and passed into the possession of the 



